Monte Perkins, Conductor presents
“GIVE ME THAT COUNTRY LIFE” with guest artist, soprano Patrice Michaels
March 25, 2012 3:00 PM Pabst Theater 144 E. Wells Give Me That Country Life 1
PROGR A M Semiramide Overture...................................................................................Gioacchino Rossini Songs of the Auvergne................................................................... Marie-Joseph Canteloube “L’Antouéno” “Obal, din lou limouzi” “Baïléro” “La D´élaïssado” “Ound’ onorèn gorda?” Patrice Michaels, soprano Intermission Symphony No. 8..................................................................................................... Antonin Dvořák I. Allegro con brio. II. Adagio. III. Allegretto grazioso. IV. Allegro ma non troppo. FCS WELCOMES SPECIAL GUESTS SUPER READERS—children who have earned free tickets for themselves and their families by participating in Milwaukee Public Library’s SUPER READERS program.
PAJAMA JAMBOREE FANS—families who attend our children’s pops concerts and earn an opportunity to sample one of our “Symphony Sundays” programs.
CIVIC MUSIC ASSOCIATION (CMA) SCHOLARSHIP AUDITION PARTICIPANTS— Young music students who have participated in CMA’s audition for scholarship awards have received a complimentary pass for themselves and their family to enjoy great music, well performed at a ”Symphony Sundays” concert of their choice.
***Festival City Symphony is a member organization of Association of Wisconsin Symphony Orchestras, the Creative Alliance Milwaukee, VISIT Milwaukee, an affiliate member of UPAF, and a program partner at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. FCS made the Business Journal’s “Book of Lists” 2002 – 2007, 2010 and 2012.*** 2 Festival City Symphony
ABOUT OUR SOLOIST “Like the Romantic ideal of art, Patrice Michaels’ voice is both natural and passionate” says Classical CD Digest. “A formidable interpretative talent” (The New Yorker), Ms. Michaels receives raves for her “poise, musicianship and impressive fioratura” (Los Angeles Times), “a voice that is light, rich and flexible” (Opera News), and “pinpoint-accurate…bravura” (Boston Globe). Ms. Michaels has been featured in engagements with the Shanghai, Czech National, St. Louis, Omaha, Atlanta, Phoenix, Milwaukee, and Minnesota Orchestras, the Maryland Handel Festival, Dallas Bach Society and Charlotte, Kansas City and Virginia Symphonies, as well as New York’s Concert Royal and Chicago’s Music of the Baroque. Ms. Michaels has sung the Great Mass in C Minor with Skrowaczewski, Christmas Oratorio with Shaw, Mahler 4 with Zdenek Macal Mozart Arias with Andrew Parrott and Nicolas McGegan, Carmina Burana with Joanne Falletta and Beethoven 9 with Andreas Delfs and Victor Yampolsky. Ms. Michaels includes in her operatic credits the Hal Prince production of Candide at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She made her debut in the 1990-91 season with the Cleveland Opera as Marzelline in Fidelio and has sung with Central City Opera, Tacoma Opera , The Banff Centre, Canada and Chicago Opera Theater. Her recording as Monica in Menotti’s The Medium (Cedille Records) continues to receive international critical acclaim. Recital appearances for Ms. Michaels include three consecutive seasons at the Festival of Contemporary Music in Havana, Cuba and tours of Mexico, Japan, Venezuela, Barbados and Belize. She performs frequently in the United States and Canada, including a recital with pianist John Browning for Music at the Supreme Court, as guest artist with the Chicago Chamber Musicians, for the Schubert Club of St. Paul and for many academic institutions, including Harvard and Northwestern University. Recent seasons for Ms. Michaels include the Albany Records release of the music of Laurie Altman, On Course, appearances at her alma mater Pomona College, for Bach Week in Evanston and in new works by Stephen McNeff and Laurie Altman at Lawrence University. This season she will be heard with the DuPage Symphony, Festival City Symphony, and in a special concert series called “Mountain,” (www.patricemichaels. com for more information). A Mozart specialist, Patrice Michaels promotes and tours a special concert, Divas of Mozart’s Day. This dramatic program with duets and narration by internationally syndicated radio announcer Peter Van de Graaff was invited to Salzburg during the summer 2006 Anniversary celebrations. Ms. Michaels can be heard on the Amadis recording of the Requiem and on Music of the Baroque’s Great Mass in C Minor. The Divas of Mozart’s Day on Cedille Records was released in 2002 and continues to garner international acclaim. She has received consistent critical enthusiasm for her other recordings on the Cedille label, including American Songs, Songs of the Classical Age; A Vivaldi Concert; The World of Lully; To Be Sung Upon the Water; Songs of the Romantic Age; 20th Century Baroque; Clearings in the Sky; The Virtuoso Handel; The Vorisek Mass in B Flat, La vie est une parade and her The Albany label features the Patrice singing the music of Laurie Altman in On Course. Ms. Michaels served for 17 years in the Conservatory of Music at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. She appears as guest clinician for many schools including the University of Tel Aviv, Hartt School of Music, for the Music Teachers’ National Association, and Dreyfoos School of the Performing Arts. She is currently affiliated with University of Chicago’s department of music, Merit School of Music and Music Institute of Chicago. Give Me That Country Life 3
C O N D U C TO R ’ S N O T E S Good afternoon and welcome to a program by Festival City Symphony we call “Give Me That Country Life”. Czech composer Antonin Dvorak (1841 –1904) had received little international recognition for any of his symphonies until his Symphony No. 6 was performed in London in 1882 by the famed German conductor Hans Richter. This led to it and several other works being accepted by the powerhouse Berlin publisher Simrock and, more importantly to Dvorak, being encouraged and promoted by Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897). Dvorak had long admired Brahms and had written his Slavonic Dances after hearing Brahms’ Hungarian Dances. In 1884, Dvorak traveled to Berlin to hear Brahms’ Third Symphony, which showed him a way to continue composing in the German Lindsay Jones Photography symphonic tradition without succumbing to the excesses of Richard Wagner (1813 – 1883). The Symphony No. 8 was written in appreciation of his appointment to the Prague Academy of Arts and Literature and was premiered on February 2, 1890, in Prague with the composer conducting. The following April he went to England and performed it while receiving an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Cambridge University. Unaware that he had already performed the work in Czechoslovakia, English critics praised the “English Symphony,” a name by which it was known for almost fifty years. It was called “… pastoral, teeming with rural sights and sounds.” An American critic described it as “idyllic, close to the soil, and permeated with folk spirit”. The first movement shows Dvorak at his Bohemian best, melancholy with a touch of mystery. The second movement is uncertain and searching, contrasting high woodwinds with low strings and major with minor tonalities. The influence of Brahms’ Third Symphony is evident in the third movement, as much a waltz as a scherzo. A trumpet fanfare ushers in the last movement, but quickly subsides to a more stately theme, only to speed forward and become a fiery Bohemian dance. Marie-Joseph Cantaloube (1879 – 1957) was a French composer, musicologist and writer on musical subjects. He composed operas, orchestral works, chamber music and song cycles, but only his Songs of the Auvergne, published in six series between 1924 and 1955 have remained in the repertoire. In 1925, he founded a society to promote the culture, folklore and folk music of his beloved Auvergne region of south central France. The folk songs he collected and arranged are written in Occitan, a regional Romance Language, now used only in small portions of France, Italy, Spain and Monaco. The rustic melodies, spirited harmonies and lush orchestrations are as beautiful as the Auvergne countryside itself. These romantic and expressive songs have long been favorites of audiences and singers alike. We will play five songs from the first two series Cantaloube published: “L’Antouéno”; “Obal, din lou Limouzi”; “Baïléro”; “La D´élaïssado”; and “Ound’ onorèn gorda?”. Translations of the lyrics are in your program. We are very proud to have as our soloist today internationally renowned soprano Patrice Michaels. Our program begins with a concert hall staple, the Overture to Semiramide of Gioacchino Rossini (1792 – 1868). Premiered in 1823, the opera was based on a play by Voltaire. The great Spanish soprano Isabella Colbran was the first Semiramide, and later became Mrs. Rossini. Rustic…. Bucolic …….Pastoral …. We hope you enjoy our visit to country life. 4 Festival City Symphony
T H A N K S TO O U R S P O N S O R S Festival City Symphony would like to take this opportunity to thank its sponsors, without whom these programs would not take place.
Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Franklyn and Barbara Esenberg Fund
United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF) for operational expenses CAMPAC – recipient of “Matching Grant” funds for operational expenses
Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, through in-kind contribution
MORE SYMPHONY SUNDAYS!
“A MUSICAL GRAND TOUR” APRIL 29, 2012 3:00 PM Pabst Theater 144 E. Wells FCS concludes its Symphony Sundays season with a musical grand tour of Italy, Scotland, the U.S., and even Paradise. We begin in Scotland with Felix Mendelssohn’s brooding “Hebrides Overture.” FCS Principal Oboist Bonnie Cohen performs Benedetto Marcello’s “Oboe Concerto in C Minor.” Frederick Delius’s expressionistic music takes us on “A Walk Through Paradise Garden” and we end the program with one of the most beloved pieces of American music, Howard Hanson’s “Romantic Symphony.” photo by Joseph A. Haertle
$14, Adult
ADMISSION $8 child, student, senior
414-963-9067 • festivalcitysymphony.org
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MEET FESTIVAL CIT Y SYMPHONY MUSICIAN — CAROL CHRISTENSEN CAROL CHRISTENSEN has played violin with Festival City Symphony for about 18 years. Time goes quickly. This means I enjoy being here. Birthplace: Racine, Wisconsin Education: Former R.N. specializing in Chemotherapy; BA in Public Relations; 15 years of private violin study with Jerome Franke (former assistant concertmaster of MSO) and Elaine Skorodin (retired from Roosevelt University and the Chicago Symphony) What I enjoy most about playing the violin: Being engulfed in the creation of music and taking this journey with other fine musicians. Music is more than what I do – it is part of who I am. Classical music has been in my life since early childhood when my parents would play classical music on the turn-table as I fell asleep at night. What I find most challenging about playing the violin: Living up to my own expectations. No one is harder on me than I am on myself. Other instruments I play: Rusty piano skills. Piano is a grand instrument to begin on. Some other musical involvements: Operate my own music business – Racine String Quartet – for 30 years. We perform quartets, trios, duets, and solos for public and private functions. Perform as concertmaster for Milwaukee Choristers, U-W Parkside Choral Arts, and Racine Choral Arts Society. Have been a 42 year member of and a soloist for the Racine Symphony. Non-musical activities: Since I tend to be a workaholic, my music endeavors and my love of violin performance dictate my schedule. I am very honored to have received from the National Association of Professional Women, a 2012 – 13 “Professional Women of the Year” award for my work in music. My husband and I love to travel the world with computer and music in-hand. I also enjoy sewing, spending time with my grandchildren, fashion and gardening. Need any hosta plants? Let me know. Music I play on my iPOD, CD player: Symphonic, Chamber, Christian and Motown. Advice to young musicians: Learn to love music. Learn many types of music – classical, jazz, Motown – then connect the dots between them. They are related. If you love what you do, it is not work. This is especially important when it comes to practice. Without practice you will not excel. Always seek out the best teacher possible – even when you are beginning study.
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MEET FESTIVAL CIT Y SYMPHONY MUSICIAN — MELISSA M ANN MELISSA MANN has played violin with Festival City Symphony for 16 years. Birthplace: Milwaukee, WI Education: UW-Madison and UWMilwaukee. I’m a speech-language pathologist. What I enjoy most about playing the violin: It can sing soloistically or blend beautifully and it lends itself to so many different types of music. Other instruments I play: piano Non-musical activities: Running, reading, travelling and adventures with my family. Music I play on my iPOD, CD player: This varies a lot, but these days I’m listening to Esperanza Spalding, Mozart and Ani di Franco. In the car I listen to 88.9 Radio Milwaukee. Favorite musical memory: In high school, as a result of a Milwaukee Symphony Youth competition I got to sit in with the MSO for a matinee concert. I remember being very nervous, but it was a really fun and inspiring experience. Advice to young musicians: Listen to lots of types of music and see live performances whenever you can. Whether you choose it as a career or not, music can always be a rewarding and joyful part of your life.
“SPRING SING” PAJAMA JAMBOREE! Wednesday, May 23, 2012 7:00 pm Marcus Center, Bradley Pavilion Festival City Symphony’s FREE children’s classical pops concert will feature versatile actress and singer soprano Kathy Pyeatt performing popular arias and show tunes with the orchestra. Children will get to conduct the instrumental finale, Stars and Stripes!
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F E S T I VA L C I T Y S Y M P H O N Y Conductor/Artistic Director................................................................................Monte Perkins Executive Director.................................................................................................. Linda E. Jones Education Director...................................................................................................Jayne Perkins Artist and Development Coordinator................................................ Lesley Conger-Hatch Librarian................................................................................................................... Christine Treter Assistant Librarian.................................................................................................. Robert Kriefall Board of Directors Franklyn Esenberg, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Theodore Zimmer, Secretary/ Treasurer JoAnn Norris • Charlane O’Rourke • Robert Stack PERSONNEL FIRST VIOLIN Robin Petzold Concertmaster Pamela Simmons Ass’t Concertmaster Catherine Bush Christine Hauptly-Annin Tatiana Migliaccio JoAnn Haasler Katherine Brooks Heather Broadbent Sharon Slattery Mary Stryck Carol Christensen SECOND VIOLIN Ellen Scott Principal Juanita Groff Ruth Bryskier Laurie Asch Melissa Mann Cheryl Ann Fuchs Eva Szoke Hilary Mercer Tassia Hughes VIOLA Christine Treter Principal Olga Tuzhilkov Lynne Fields Jenna Dick Korinthia Klein Julie Roubik Mary Pat Michels
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CELLO Tom Smith Principal Ingrid Tihtcheva Elizabeth Bender Carol Wittig Braden Flanagan-Zitoun Sacia Jerome Jerad Snyder BASS Charles Grosz Principal Kathryn Jursik Barry Clark Michael Gudbaur Steven Rindt
BASSOON Lori Babinec Principal Steve Whitney HORN Wes Hatch Principal Nancy Cline Anne Maliborski Kelly Hofman TRUMPET Gerry Keene Principal Joe Burzinski
FLUTE Lesley Conger-Hatch Principal Heidi Knudsen
TROMBONE Jonathan Winkle Principal Maxon Day Keith Hertig
FLUTE/PICCOLO Kristen Fenske
TUBA Dan Neesley
OBOE Bonnie Cohen Principal Suzanne Swenson
TIMPANI Robert Koszewski
ENGLISH HORN Suzanne Geoffrey CLARINET Franklyn Esenberg Principal Linda E. Jones
PERCUSSION Ed Doemland Principal Robert Kriefall PIANO Ruben Piirainen